|
 | |  | |
Betty George was born in 1933 at Birmingham. She attended St Patrick's junior school and then St Alban's Senior. Her homes were at Highgate Street and Mosley Road in Balsall Heath, and later Billingsley Road, Sheldon, and Ladywood. Does she remember much about the Second World War ?
Yes I do remember the war. Carrying your gas mask everywhere you went and at school all those air raid drills. We did not see much of my dad as he worked all day and was in the A.R.P., so was on duty most nights.
I often wonder when the poor old bugger slept. We used to take his tea to the air raid shelter. Most nights we arrived at the shelter at about 5pm, getting there early to get a seat otherwise it was standing room only.
As the bombs rained down we would all sing to drown out the noise. People were different then, for everyone helped each other and shared whatever they had.
My brother and myself used to collect firewood from the bombed buildings, chop it up and sell it at 2 bundles for 2d. We also collected blackberries. You could get 3d for a jam jar full. Not a bad racket until mother found out. Then it was a clip round the ears and the money taken off us.
Everyone seemed to be in the same boat. We did not have much. Everything was rationed, so food was not abundant. I know I went to bed hungry many times, but it was not the fault of our parents.
The night Coventry got bombed out it was really bad. I think everywhere caught it that night. Highgate Street where I lived was an inferno because there were a paint factory and a paper mill in the street that got hit. Really don't know how we got out of that one, but somehow we survived to tell the tale.
Betty George, New South Wales, Australia, 2002
| |  | |  |
To add a comment you must first login or join for free, up in the top left corner.
|
|
